Pharmaceutical machine for delivering to receptacles predetermined quantities of pharmaceutical articles such as pills, tablets, and the like



May 16, 1950 v s. BLACKMAN 2,507,883

PHARMACEUTICAL MACHINE FOR DELIVERING T0 RECEPTACLES PREDETERMINED QUANTITIES 0F PHARMACEUTICAL ARTICLES SUCH AS PILLS, TABLETS, AND THE LIKE Filed Feb. 28, 1946 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 lNVENTOR STANLEY BlacKMAA/ May 16, 1950 s. BLACKMAN 2,507,883

PHARMACEUTICAL MACHINE FOR DELIVERING TO RECEPTACLES PREDETERMINED QUANTITIES OF PHARMACEUTICAL ARTICLES SUCH AS PILLS, TABLETS, AND THE LIKE Filed Feb. 28, 1946' 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 g INVENTOR.

57 mm fr 344 (K/WAN 4 TOQ/VEY y 6, 1950 s. BLACKMAN 2,50

PHARMACEUTICAL MACHINE FOR DELIVERING T0 RECEPTACLES PREDETERMINED qumrrrms 0F PHARMACEUTICAL ARTICLES SUCH AS PILLS, TABLETS, AND THE LIKE V INVENTOR.

A TOR/V5) Patented May 16, 195) UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PHARMACEUTICAL MACHINE FOR DELIVER- ING TO RECEPTACLES PREDETERMINED QUANTITIES OF PHARMACEUTICAL ARTI- CLES SUCH AS PILLS, TABLETS, AND THE LIKE Stanley Blackman, New York, N. Y.

Application February 28, 1946, Serial No. 651,014

2 Claims. 1

This invention relates to pharmaceutical batching machines and, more particularly, to machines for delivering to receptacles predetermined quantities of pharmaceutical articles such as pills, tablets, and the like.

It is an object of the invention to provide a machine of the character described which will perform the required counting and transfer operations with the least possible tumbling of the pharmaceutical articles whereby abrasion and fled in' the construction hereinafter described and of which the scope of application will be indicated in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, in which is shown one of the various possible embodiments of the invention,

Fig. 1 is a front view of a machine embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof; and

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line 3--3 of Fig. 1.

Referring now to the drawings, I have there shown a machine I!) constructed in accordance with my invention and comprising a thin circular plate l2 of self-form-maintaining material, such as a plastic, Bakelite for example. This plate is provided with a plurality of groups I4 of through appertures I6, each group consisting of a predetermined number equal to the quantity of certain, pharmaceutical articles to be deposited in a given bottle. tween a predetermined outer and a predetermined inner radius and each group is disposed between predetermined radial boundaries so that every group I4 is separate and distinct from its aperture rides over the slot any pharmaceutical articles disposed therein will fall through.

Any suitable means is provided to rotate the plate I2. As illustrated, said means includes an electric motor 22 supported on a work table 24. The motor shaft 26 is coupled to the input side of a speed reduction box 28 whose output shaft 30 turns a gear 32. A bracket 34 supports the speed reduction box from the under side of the board I8. The gear 32 turns an idler 3B in mesh 1 with a pinion 38 secured to rotate with a shaft 40 which is journalled in a bushing 42 extending through the board Ill. The idler 36 likewise is rotatably mounted on the said board. The shaft 40 extends through the board. I8 and plate I2. At its upper end said shaft receives a washer 44 and a collar 46, which latter forces theflwasher 44 against the upper surface of the disc and clamps the disc between said washer and a collar 48 on the shaft 40. To insure mutual rotation of the plate I2 and the shaft 40, a pin 50 is placed The groups of apertures all extend bev in registered holes in the washer 44 and collar 48, said pin being passed through a small offcenter opening in the plate I2. The speed reduction box is so selected with respect to the motor speed and the gears 32, 36 and 38 that the plate I2 will turn at a Very slow speed, e. g., three revolutions per minute.

Retaining means also is provided to surround a major portion of the circumference of the plate I2. Said retaining means preferably is in the form of a curved sheet metal wall 52 held in position by a few sheet metal straps 54 extending between the wall and the board I8. The board and wall additionally are held together by a grooved duct 56 of half-round cross-section whose upper edge is flanged and secured to the wall and whose lower edge likewise is flanged and secured to the board. This duct is located in a position approximately diametrically opposite to the slot 20 and extends along the board about The function of theduct will be described hereinafter. If desired, the wall may carry rollers 51 near its lower edge, these rollers being mounted on spring fingers 51a and so disposed as to press against the periphery of the plate I2 whereby to maintain the same in sliding engagement with the board I8 in the event said plate warps. Alternatively said rollers may be carried by the board I8.

The board is supported by two pairs of legs 58, 60. Pursuant to my invention said board's supporting means is so constructed and arranged that the board may be tilted within a range of angles to the horizontal, for a purpose which asoassa later will be explained. Accordingly each set of legs 88, 88 is pivotally attached to the board I8 at their upper ends and said legs are slidably received in sleeves 82 carried by the work table 28. These sleeves have laterally extending trunnions 88 in order to permit the sleeves to rock about axes parallel to the axis of rotation of the motor shaft 28. Said trunnions are journalled in bearings 88 on the work table. Any conventional means is included to secure the shafts 88, 88 in adjusted position relative to the sleeves 82 and to secure the trunnions 88 in adjusted position in their bearings. As illustrated, set screws 88 and III are furnished for this purpose.

A motor 'II drives a suction pump 12 whose intake 18 is connected by a flexible conduit I8 to the duct 88.

. .4 justed. A ball and socket joint I28 interconnects the mirror 2 and its supporting shaft.

' ceptacle.

Means is provided at the discharge end of the machine beneath the slot 28 to convey pharmaceutical articles from said slot to a receptacle R in a predetermined position at a filling station. Such means is shown herein in the form of an inclined gravity chute 18 having an outlet 88 connected to the lower end ofthe chute by a swivel joint 82. The forward portion of the chute may be cut away, as illustrated at 88, in order that an operator may see the articles dropping through the slot 28 and ascertain if articles are jamming or caught in the chute.

The receptacle R, into which the pharmaceutical articles are discharged, is adapted to stand on an adjustable platform 88. Said platform is secured to the ends of a pair of horizontal arms 88 which are axially-slidably received in a block 88 and are held in any adjusted position by set screws 89. The block 88 itself is vertically slidable on an erect rod 98 carried by the work table and is held at any desired height by a set screw 82.

The platform 88 and arms 88 are so constructed and arranged that the platform slopes slightly downwardly towards the machine and also slopes slightly to one side or the other of the machine, that is, either to the right or the left, as viewed in Fig. 1. In the illustrated example, said platform slopes downwardly slightly to the left. These slopes combine totilt the platform in such manner that one corner thereof is lowermost.

Boundary strips 88, 88 project above the edges of the platform extending from said lowermost corher. The boundary mounted, being carried on the end of a screw 88 which threadably engages a tapped bore in a plate I88 secured to the left hand edge of the platform 88. A lock nut I82 threaded on the screw 88 enables said screw to be held in any adjusted position. It will be apparent that the foregoing parts constitute an adjustable guide which serves to locate a receptacle R of any-certain size beneath the chute discharge outlet 88 in 'any given position of the latter.

Attention is called to the fact that the adjustable boundary strip 88 has a cut out I88 in its lower edge adjacent the boundary strip 88'.

A vibrator I88 also is included. Said vibrator, which may be electrically operated in a suitable fashion, is connected by a rigid rod II8 to the platform 88.

A mirror I I2, located near the back of the machine, is supported from the work table 28 by a shaft II8, said shaft II8 being vertically slidable strip 88 is adjustably- In the useof the machine an operator who sits in front of the machine about at A is given a large quantity of identical pharmaceutical articles, e. g., pills or capsules, and is told that a certain number of the same are to be placed in each of a specific type of receptacle. The operator then selects from a large assortment of plates I2 .that plate wherein each of the groups I8 contains a number of aperturesequal to the number of pharmaceutical articles to be inserted in the re- Furthermore, the plate which is selected has apertures I8 with a diameter slightly larger than the maximum cross-sectional area of the pharmaceutical articles to be counted and bottled. The operator now removes the pin 88, collar 88 and washer 88 to free the plate I2 previously in the machine and replaces this plate with the selected plate having groups of the proper number of apertures of the proper size. This plate is pinned and clamped in position.

The operator places a pile of the pharmaceutical articles on a portion of the plate remote from the slot 28 and tilts the plate by adjusting the legs 58, 88 so that this portion of the plate is the lowest. It will be noted that the plate tilts about the motor shaft 28. The set screws 88, II are clamped and the motor 22 energized.

The angle at which the plate is set then is adjusted to an angle just below that at which articles from the pile are carried on the surface I of the plate over the slot 28 by rotation of the in a sleeve II8 on the work table and being held I in any selected position by a set screw I I8, whereplate.

I have observed that with the plate so oriented pharmaceutical articles are subjected to the least harmful movement. If the angle of the plate inclination is very steep, the pile will tend to concentrate near the low spot and, as the plate turns, the articles will be severely churned and agitated. However, when the angle becomes too small, articles will move along with the plate above the already filled apertures and deposit too many articles in the receptacles. It will thus be seen that the desired angle is controlled by, i. e., is a func tion of, the angle of repose of the pharmaceutical articles.

Once the plate has been properly set the swivel joint 82 is swung to bring the chute discharge nozzle into vertical position and the platform is arranged so that the mouths of the receptacles will be disposed directly beneath said nozzle. At the same time the operator adjusts the mirror so that the portion of the plate over the slot 28 can be seen. Thi is done to enable the operator to ascertain. if all the apertures of the group being discharged are full. If not, the one or two additional articles needed are dropped into the receptacle being filled. After each group of apertures has passed over the slot 28 and all the articles therein have fallen into a receptacle, the filled receptacle is removed and an empty receptacle placed in proper position on the platform.

During operation of the machine, abrasion of articles causes a fine dust to be constantly discharged. The dust which forms in the pile of articles gravitates to the low part of the plate where it is sucked out by the duct 58. The dust which forms in the chute and falls onto the platform gravitates to the cut out I88 and falls onto the work table where it will not interfere with the proper location of. the receptacle. This action is facilitated by.the vibrator I88 which, however, is primarily employed to settle or compact by the vertical height of the mirror can be ad articles in the receptacles.

cated by the reference character X the articles on the surface of the pile experience no extensive motion. To replenish the articles in the pile I may lead a closed supply chute I22 to said point i X, the mouth of the chute being immediately over the pile of articles. gravity through said chute. When the pile of articles is high enough to block the end of the chute, no articles will be fed, but as the level of the pile descends during operation, a supply of articles will automatically replenish the well without the use *of any control mechanism.

It will thus be seen that there is provided a machine and method for using the same in which the several objects of this invention are achieved, and which are well adapted to meet the conditions of practical use. i

As various possible embodiments might be made of the above invention, and as various changes might be made in the embodiment above set 2. A machine for counting and delivering to receptacles predetermined quantities of pharmaceutical articles, said machine comprising a plate having radially separate groups of apertures, the number of apertures in each group being the same as the number of articles to be delivered in each Articles discharge by termined angle, said supporting means being so ings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a sense.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure, by Letters Patent:

1. A machine for counting and delivering to receptacles predetermined quantities of pharmaceutical articles, said machine comprising a plate havin radially separate groups of apertures, the .number of apertures in each group being the same as the number of articles to be delivered to each receptacle, means to mount said plate for rotation about an axis, means to turn said plate about said axis, a flat member at least as big as and upon which said plate rests, said member having an opening beneath and in alignment with the paths of travel of said apertures so that said apertures successively will be aligned with said opening as said plate turns, means to support said member in such manner that the plate and member may be tilted at divers-angles to the horizontal, means to fix said supporting means with the plate and member tilted at any predetermined angle, said supporting means being so constructed and arranged that the portion of the member having theopenin'g therein is adapted to be disposed at the highest part of said member and plate, retaining means carried by said member and disposed adjacent the lowermost portion of the member and plate, a platform, gauging means on said platform for. locatiDB a receptacle thereon, a gravity chute leading from the opening in said member and having its dis charge'outlet disposed above the mouth of a receptacle on said platform, a plurality of rollers,

and means for resiliently supporting said rollers receptacle, means to mount said plate for rotation about an axis, means to turn said plate about said axis, a flat. member at least as big as and upon which said plate rests, said member having an opening beneath and-in alignment with the paths of travel of said apertures so that said aperturessuccessively willbe aligned with said opening as said plate turns, means to support said member in such manner that the plate and member may be tilted at divers angles to the horizontal, means to fix said supporting means with the plate and member tilted at any predeconstructed and arranged that the portion of the member having the opening therein is adapted to be disposed at the highest part of said member and plate, retaining means carried by said member and disposed adjacent the lowermost portion of the member and plate, a platform, gauging means on said platform for locating a receptacle thereon, a gravity chute leading from the opening in said member and having its discharge outlet disposed above the mouth of a receptacle on said platform, said retaining means having its lower edge spaced slightly above said plate, and means to provide a low pressure area at the space between the lower edge of the retaining means and the plate whereby to suck out The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS dust created during Number Name Date 707,544 Bates Aug. 26, ,1902 824,463 Ayers June 26, 1906' 989,348 Haines Apr. 11, 1911 1,495,178 Hodgdon May 27, 1924 1,541,846 Purinton June 16, 1925 1,705,443 Edelman Mar. 12, 1929 1,736,124 Meijer Nov. 19, 1929 1,951,503 Creveling Mar. 20, 1934- 1,957,875 Wright May a, 1934 1,972,026 Miller Aug. 28, 1934 2,390,448 Moeller Dec. 4, 1940 2,488,207 Joseph Sept. 27, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date Great Britain Sept. 15, 1938 

